WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Crowded basements and busy Friday night bars filled with the sounds of bass, keys and drums – aspiring local musicians and the cheers of devoted fans watching and dancing along to the beat. Live music is at the heart of Bloomington. A college town enriched in arts and culture, budding with talent and an eager audience desiring to take it in.
Antonio and Kristofer, two brothers, and their primary school best friends, Dan and Jackson are the four founding members of the popular Bloomington alternative band “Mindfully Blind.” An evening playing around with the application “Garage Band” and a guitar Christmas present later, the four guys are booking shows around the area almost every weekend.
The one year anniversary of the release of the groups first album, “The Wanderer” will be this upcoming March 10th, which the bands accredits as one of their proudest accomplishments.
Mindfully Blind is working on producing their second album. Their songs take inspiration from a wide range of artists.
Being primarily located in Bloomington provides immense opportunities for budding talent like the group Mindfully Blind. Home of a nationally accredited university, Bloomington is full of passionate individuals in entrepreneurship, audio engineering, and instrumental talent that inspire the live music scene.
Mindfully Blind describes the local band and live music scene as a supportive community that yearns for everyone’s success.
Max Defrisco, has been a lifelong musician and guitarist before the formation of his band, Westhead, which came together once he arrived in Bloomington as a student at Indiana University. His folk music takes inspiration from 60s and 70s music, and his poetic lyrics from the trials of his own life as a young adult.
Westhead’s first album, “And Just Like That” released on February 24th, just last year. DeFrisco is working on the second album which, like his first, wouldn’t be what it is today without Bloomington’s supportive community of creative individuals.
Connor McLaren, a third musician and songwriter in the Bloomington scene, similarly grew up in a musical household. He picked up guitar as a child with the support of his brother and father. It was in college that McLaren began to take his aspirations seriously, having the freedom of time and resources to make his dream a reality. It was with his mentor, he recorded his first song and eventually his first album.
McLaren values the storytelling aspect of his music.
He aspires to bring life to his performances like his idol Todd Snider. McLaren hopes to bring joy to his listeners everyday, for them he is incredibly grateful.
In a town with a rich history of talent, the local music scene blossoms and will continue to grow for many years to come.
